


Let's Pretend. Happy End.

by gingayellow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (somewhat) hopeful ending, Gen, Hurt/No Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 03:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12202983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: The Galra won. He's broken. Now if he could just convince Keith of that. [Shiro/Keith, cw for trauma, VERY ott melodrama]





	Let's Pretend. Happy End.

Title: Let's Pretend. Happy End.  
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Characters/Pairing: Shiro/Keith  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine  
Warnings: Alluded to trauma, characters struggling to cope with that trauma  
Notes: Again, all y'all are so worried about Sweet Angel Keith, you seem to forget all the angst possibilities for Shiro in S3. Anyways, the title is swiped from Garbage's song "You Look So Fine," bc I've been in a bad place lately, and what else is there to do but listen to the angsty muzak of your teenage years.

\--

Keith’s hugging him. Shiro should hug him back.

And he will, because he should. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re rescued, after all. Thank everyone for their kindness and make sure you don’t become visibly upset, because then they’ll regret helping you, and leave you. That’s how it works.

Keith’s still hugging him.

And people are talking about a pod, just the word makes him want to throw up. He remembers the leers, and the screaming, and not being able to move, to think—

He’s screaming, he thinks. He must be, because Keith’s grip goes loose (but he doesn’t let go), as he assures Shiro it doesn’t have to be right away, or at all, they have medical supplies, he can rest.

He can’t rest. Ever. But he doesn’t want to be rude to Keith, so he goes limp, and lets Keith lead him to the med bay.

\--

He won’t lie down. He won’t, he doesn’t care what Coran or Allura or anyone else says.

Coran tries to joke it off, something about back pain, but everything hurts. He’s fine sitting up, with no one looming over him.

**_LEERING LOOMING TAKING TAKING TAKING PLEASE STOP IT HURTS I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE--_ **

Keith tells Coran to work around Shiro sitting up.

He also takes Shiro’s hand. 

Shiro hates himself, but the memories of too strong hands are too much, so he pulls away from Keith.

Keith will leave him, but that’s probably for the best.

\--

It’s a little better after that. Keith doesn’t leave him, but also doesn’t touch him. He keeps guard, however, something that Shiro is grateful for. Keith comes and goes, and no one else visits, except Coran for his checkups. That’s for the best. No one needs to be around him when he’s like this.

One morning, he wakes up to voices. Not just Keith and Coran. There are other people here.

Allura, gently pointing out that they need to question Shiro. No one doubts his loyalty, but he also vanished in the middle of their biggest battle. They’d have to do it for anyone.

Then Lance. His tone bleeds with guilt, but that doesn’t stop him from point out that Shiro seems…different. He’s brittle, not as willing to interact as he used to be. Maybe something’s wrong?

Keith all but snarls at Lance that of course something is wrong, he was kidnapped and tortured, but… Shiro knows better. Shiro knows that Lance and Allura are right. The Galra won. They corrupted him into something beyond repair.

He tried to get up and put himself under house arrest quietly, but he’s still weak, and stumbles. 

Keith catches him, and before he can stop himself, Shiro snaps, telling Keith to leave him alone.

“I.” Keith’s breathing too fast. He sniffles. “I’m sorry.”

“Keith, you’re fine. I should apologize to you.” What he wants is to just be with Keith. Rest more, knowing Keith will protect him. But… but that’s selfish. He’s broken and no good and to ask for anything more from the… the leader of Voltron would be stealing him away from his duty. “I’m going to secure myself. When I recover, I’ll leave.”

“You can’t,” Keith whispers, and now he really is crying. Another way Shiro has hurt him. “I just found you, and—”

“You found someone broken beyond repair, Keith.”

“I’m going to kill Lance,” Keith whispers under his breath.

“Please don’t. Hunk would get mad.” That was supposed to be a joke. No one’s laughing. “Keith… Lance didn’t mean anything. He and Allura have a point. I can’t be trusted.”

“I trust you.” When Keith says it that way, Shiro almost believes him.

“Keith—”

“If you need to hide away, that’s fine. But please.” Keith’s trying to look like he’s folded his arms across his chest, but he’s hugging himself. “Stay. At least until we can figure out what’s going on.”

It’s selfish. He’s expecting more from good people with a mission than he should. It’s going to come back to bite them.

But he wants Keith to stop crying, so he agrees.


End file.
